Description:
When you visit Epworth Old Rectory an impressive Grade 1 listed Queen Anne building set in beautiful gardens, you are transported back to early 18th Century life and introduced to the remarkable family who lived there.

This was the home in which the rector of Epworth, Samuel Wesley, and his wife Susanna brought up their sons John and Charles Wesley (the founders of Methodism) in their childhood years. As you tour the Old Rectory under the guidance of one of our trained staff you will see how people lived in the early 1700s: come through the front door into the impressive entrance hall, visit Samuel's study and Susanna's kitchen, enjoy the space of the family drawing room, see the family bedrooms and then spend some time in the peaceful gardens.

Born at Epworth in 1703 the fifteenth child of Samuel and
Susanna, John Wesley is perhaps the best known member of the Wesley
family, and with his younger brother Charles was the founder of
Methodism. When the Epworth rectory caught fire in 1709 John was
dramatically rescued from an upper floor window, 'a brand plucked from
the burning' as he later described it. He believed the experience was an
indication that he had been providentially set apart for significant
work. Educated at Charterhouse School and Oxford University, John became
leader of the Oxford group his brother Charles had founded called 'The
Holy Club' – derisively dubbed 'Methodists' by fellow students because
of their methodical approach to study and devotion.

Learning Programmes:
Schools can now participate in guided tours of the Epworth Old Rectory.
We invite a class of up to 30 children from years 4 or 5 to come for a full day (10am to 2.30pm) to take part in three activities in groups of 10 at a time. (More can be accommodated with prior notice)

Main activities for all bookings:
1. Guided tour of the Old Rectory in question and answer style
2. Costumed experience of home schooling in Susanna’s kitchen (KS2 Literacy and History Unit 18)
One further activity from this list can also be selected:
3. ‘Plant detectives’ in the Physic Garden (KS2 Science 2b) – available from May to September
4. Shock pots and loving cups – learning their meaning and making your own (KS2 Art 5b)
5. Learning about portraits and drawing a portrait of another pupil (KS2 Art 3a)

Specialisms:
John Wesley had a great interest in natural remedies and wrote a popular book called Primitive Physick which suggested cures for things like baldness, indigestion and the common cold. The Physic Garden at Epworth includes many of the plants and herbs Wesley used for such cures, and you will enjoy spending time here. You may visit the Physic Garden without touring the Old Rectory.